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Table of Contents
Recent
Article in JHC:
Volume 12
Issue 7 (October/November 2007)
Click
on the title to read a short summary of the article
- The
Effect of Qualifying Language on Perceptions of Drug Appeal, Drug Experience,
and Estimates of Side-Effect Incidence in DTC Advertising.
-- Joel Davis
Davis examined the effect of qualifying language on perceptions of drug
appeal, anticipated pleasantness of drug use, and the expected occurrence
of drug-related side effects. The results suggest that the FDA should
explicitly consider the appropriateness of allowing the use of qualifying
language in the communication of drug-related side effects. If qualifying
language is not subsequently prohibited then the research suggests that
the FDA should consider requiring the incorporation of numeric data
into each use of qualifying language, and reconsider how it evaluates
"fair balance" in DTC advertising, noting the contribution
of qualifying language to the ""benefit" versus "risk"
side of the fair balance equation.
- The
Relative Persuasiveness of Gain-Framed Loss-Framed Messages for Encouraging
Disease Prevention Behaviors: A Meta-Analytic Review
-- Daniel J. O'Keefe and Jakob D. Jensen
O'Keefe and Jensen examined whether gain-framed and loss-framed appeals
significantly differ in persuasiveness concerning disease prevention
actions and whether the relative persuasiveness of gain- and loss-framed
appeals varies depending on the particular prevention behavior being
advocated. Such behavior-specific analyses have considerable practical
importance, because the best evidence of whether gain-framed appeals
are especially persuasive for encouraging (say) skin cancer prevention
behaviors comes from studies specifically concerning those behaviors.
A meta-analytic review of 93 studies (N = 21,656) finds that in disease
prevention messages, gain-framed appeals are statistically significantly
more persuasive than loss-framed appeals. However, this difference is
quite small (corresponding to r = .03) and appears attributable to a
relatively large effect for messages advocating dental hygiene behaviors.
Despite very good statistical power, the analysis finds no statistically
significant differences in persuasiveness between gain- and loss-framed
messages concerning other preventive actions such as safer-sex behaviors,
skin cancer prevention behaviors, or diet and nutrition behaviors.
COMMENTARY: The Effectiveness of Gain-Framed Messages for Encouraging
Disease Prevention Behavior: Is All Hope Lost?
Amy E. Latimer; Peter Salovey; and Alexander J. Rothman
CLICK
HERE FOR FULL TEXT 
- Assessing
Health Numeracy Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults
-- Lorie Donelle; Laurie Hoffman-Goetz; and Jose F. Arocha
Donelle, Hoffman-Goetz and Arocha assessed numeracy skill of older Canadian
adults using multiple numeracy assessment instruments. The influence
of prose literacy, math anxiety and level of attained education on numeracy
skill was also considered. Results of their research suggest that math
anxiety was associated with general context but not health context numeracy.
This highlights the need for further investigation of the influence
of math anxiety on: (1) choice of assessment instrument and (2) participant
numeracy skill. The gradient of numeracy skills for this group of older
adults by type of numeracy assessment instrument utilized suggests that
use of multiple numeracy assessment tools better captures the construct
of health numeracy skill. Research opportunities include the further
development of a health numeracy model, additional validation of current
numeracy instruments, and the development of a comprehensive health
numeracy assessment.
- Perceptions
of Traditional Information Sources and Use of the World Wide Web to
Seek Health Information: Findings From the Health Information National
Trends Survey
-- Stephen A. Rains
Rains explored the factors in one's information-media environment that
are associated with use of the Internet for health information. Using
data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (N = 3982),
trust in traditional sources of health information, including one's
health care provider, family and mass media, were examined as predictors
of Internet usage and perceptions. In constructing health communication
campaigns on the World Wide Web, campaign designers should consider
the following issues that are based on the outcomes of this study: Information
seeking occurs in an environment in which a variety of sources are available,
and individuals consult multiple sources to acquire health information;
Use of a particular source, such as the Internet, may be motivated by
distrust in another medium as a resource for medical information; Distrust
of one's health care provider may extend to influence perceptions of
the quality of information derived from other sources such as the Internet;
and A lack of trust in the Internet may be one factor explaining non-use
of the Internet for health purposes
-
Utilizing
Computerized Entertainment Education in the Development of Decision
Aids for Lower Literate and Naïve Computer Users
-- Maria L. Jibaja-Weiss and Robert J. Volk
Jibaja-Weiss and Volk examined the challenges involved in designing
decision support tools for individuals with low literacy and novice
computer users and present a framework for guiding the design of patient
decision aids utilizing a computerized entertainment education strategy.
For the development of patient decision aids, it is essential to consider
the full spectrum of skills and abilities needed by patients to make
informed decisions beyond the reading level of the target audience.
Interactive multimedia allows for user engagement, the ability to
interact with information and images, and simulation of real-life
situations. Factual and entertaining components (i.e., storylines,
games, music) promote engagement. Involving the target audience in
all phases of decision aid development, but particularly during the
formative phase of the study, is critical to better understand the
informational and entertainment needs of the target population. Because
lower literate individuals may be misinformed about health topics,
it is important to identify the areas of misinformation during the
formative work and address them directly within the content of the
decision aid.
Related
Articles
- Is the Information "Fair and Balanced"
in Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Websites?
Jisu Huh and Brenda J. Cude; Volume
9, Issue 6, 2004, Pages 529 - 540
- Improving Doctor-Patient Understanding
of Probability in Communicating Cancer-Screening Test Findings
Yaniv Hanoch;
Volume 9, Issue 4, 2004, Pages 327 - 335.
-
Cancer-Related Information Seeking:
Hints from the 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)
Lila J. Finney Rutten; Linda Squiers; and Bradford Hesse; Volume
11, Issue 1, Supplement 1, 2006, Pages 147 - 156.
Volume
12 Issue 8 (December 2007)
Click on the title to read a short summary of the
article.
- "I
Have Never Heard That One": Young Girls' Knowledge and Perception
of Cervical Cancer
-- Maghboeba Mosavel and Nadia El-Shaarawi
Mosavel and El-Shaarawi studied the existing state of cancer and cervical
cancer knowledge of low-income African-American and Hispanic adolescent
girls. The results of the study demonstrate that study participants
lacked any substantive information about cervical cancer and that cancer
knowledge seemed to be derived from a highly personal and emotional
context. Cancer knowledge was predicated by fear, uncertainty, anxiety
and death. Our findings suggest that considerable contextual health
promotion efforts are needed to improve knowledge about cancer in general.
Furthermore, specific cervical cancer knowledge and education that is
contextualized and community-driven must be geared towards adolescent
girls. The need for these cervical cancer education efforts is now even
more critical given the availability of the HPV vaccine and the need
for families to make an informed decision.
- Patients'
Shame and Attitudes Toward Discussing the Results of Literacy Screening
-- Michael S. Wolf; Mark V. Williams; Ruth M. Parker; Nina S. Parikh;
Adam W. Nowlan; and David W. Baker
Wolf, et. al investigated patients' willingness to have their reading
ability documented in their medical records and the degree of shame
and embarrassment associated with such disclosure. Among a consecutive
sample of 283 primary care patients at an urban public hospital, half
of patients reading at or below the 3rd grade level admitted feeling
ashamed or embarrassed about their difficulties reading, compared to
19.2% of those reading at the 4th to 6th grade level and 6.5 percent
of those reading at the 7th to 8th grade level (p<0.001). More than
90 percent of patients with low or marginal literacy reported it would
be helpful for the doctor or nurse to know they did not understand some
medical words. Patients with limited literacy were more likely to report
feelings of shame as a result of disclosure. Healthcare providers must
recognize the potential shame patients
might experience as a result of literacy screening.
FULL
TEXT
- Understanding
Optimal Nutrition Among Women of Childbearing Age in the United States
and Puerto Rico: Employing Formative Research to Lay the Foundation
for National Birth Defects Prevention Campaigns
-- Lisa L. Massi Lindsey; Heather C. Hamner; Christine E. Prue; Alina
L. Flores; Diana Valencia; Elia Correa-Sierra; and Jenifer E. Kopfman
Lindsey, Carter, Prue, Flores, Kopfman, Correa-Sierra, and Valencia
conducted a behavioral analysis of multivitamin consumption among women
of childbearing age in the United States and Puerto Rico to better understand
why women do (and do not) take these vitamins containing folic acid
which has been shown to prevent neural tube birth defects. They recommend
that for campaign messages designed to increase multivitamin consumption
in this population, messages must highlight those benefits of vitamins
unrelated to pregnancy to serve as an impetus for multivitamin consumption.
Messages must address women's perceived and actual barriers to taking
a daily multivitamin (e.g., cost, large pill size). Because women acknowledged
that it can be difficult to get all their vitamins and nutrients from
food alone, messages should convey the importance of taking a multivitamin
every day to ensure women are meeting their daily needs. Messages in
Puerto Rico must dispel an existing myth that multivitamins cause women
to gain weight. Although the support and influence of important women
(e.g., mothers, sisters) might be imperative for some behaviors, they
did not emerge as a vital influence on women's multivitamin consumption.
- Immunization
in the Print Media - Perspectives Presented by the Press
-- Felicity Goodyear-Smith; Helen Petousis-Harris; Colleen Vanlaar;
Nikki Turner; and Stephen Ram
Goodyear-Smith, Petousis-Harris, Van Laar, Turner and Ram analyze the
written media in 2001 and 2003 throughout NZ in terms of how vaccination
and vaccine preventable diseases are presented to their target audiences.
They recommend that immunization promotion services make available to
the media few key accessible, media trained personnel who can talk on
a wide range of immunization issues. There should be rapid follow-up
on alarmist negative stories. The proportion of letters to the editor
supportive of immunization should be increased, given that this is where
much of the fear-mongering is presented and ensure that media attention
is given to vaccine-preventable diseases when these do occur.
- Messages
From Moms: Barriers to and Facilitators of Behavior Change in a Lead
Poisoning Preventive Education Project
-- Catherine M. Jordan; Patricia A. Lee; Ruth Olkon; and Phyllis
L. Pirie
Jordan, Lee, Olkon and Pirie
analyzed qualitative focus group data from participants of an intensive,
culture-specific, lead poisoning preventive education research project
to to assess success of communication strategies, and specifically,
to identify barriers to and facilitators of adopting behavior changes
encouraged in the project. We offer several recommendations that may
assist others in designing effective prevention or intervention programs.
Although the recommendations sometimes refer specifically to lead poisoning
prevention strategies, many may be generalizable to other programs seeking
to alter different types of behaviors, such as cigarette smoking, asthma
control, or safety-related behaviors.
- Women
Seeking Health Information: Distinguishing the Web User
-- Dorothy Warner and J. Drew Procaccino
The authors explored the health information-seeking process and behavior
of women who use the Web to seek such information. This paper focuses
on women who, at least to some extent, seek healthcare information via
The Web (herein, Web user). A comparison of female Web users and non-Web
users who seek health information revealed that Web users sought health
information at a higher rate than non Web users. Web users were more
likely to communicate with medical professionals about the health information
found and claimed that their decisions about health treatments were
influenced by the health information. In most cases, Web users expressed
a higher awareness of resources, regardless of format. However, Web
users did not report that finding health information, from any channel,
was noticeably easier.
Related Articles
- Cancer Knowledge and Disparities in
the Information Age.
K. Viswanath; Nancy Breen; Helen Meissner; Richard P. Moser; Bradford
Hesse; Whitney Randolph Steele; and William Rakowski; Volume
11, Issue 1, Supplement 1, 2006, Pages 1 - 17
- Language, Literacy, and Communication
Regarding Medication in an Anticoagulation Clinic: A Comparison of Verbal
vs. Visual Assessment.
Dean Schillinger; Edward L. Machtinger; Frances Wang; Jorge Palacios;
Maytrella Rodriguez; and Andrew Bindman; Volume
11, Issue 7, 2006, Pages 651 - 664.
- Reducing the Digital Divide for Low-income
Women With Breast Cancer: A Feasibility Study of a Population-Based
Intervention.
David H. Gustafson; Fiona M. McTavish; William Stengle; Denise Ballard;
Ellen Jones; Karen Julesberg; Helene McDowell; Gina Landucci; and Robert
Hawkins; Volume
10, Issue 7, Supplement 1, 2005, Pages 173 - 193
Featured
Book Review
Haider, M. (2005). Global Public Health
Communication: Challenges, Perspectives, and Strategies.
Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. ISBN: 0-7637-4776-9 (paper
back) 450 pp., $72.95.. Reviewed by Kami J. Silk
Click
here to read the entire review
Call for Proposals
Health Games Research is an $8.25 million
national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) that
supports outstanding research to enhance the quality and impact of interactive
games used to improve health. The goal of the program is to advance the
innovation, design, and effectiveness of health games and game technologies
so that they help people improve their health-related behaviors and, as
a result, achieve significantly better health outcomes. The program is
directed by Debra Lieberman, Ph.D., communication researcher in the Institute
for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research at the University of
California, Santa Barbara. Health Games Research focuses on interactive
games that are delivered or supported by digital technology. Health
Games Research investigates how people respond to interactive games,
in order to develop highly effective and beneficial ways to design and
use games to improve health.
The Health Games Research program
will offer two rounds of funding, with awards made in 2008 and 2009, to
support research on games that (1) increase physical activity and/or (2)
games that improve self-care. The goal is to develop theoretically grounded,
evidence-based principles for designing and implementing health games
successfully, keeping in mind the unique needs of specific populations
of end users. The application deadline for the first round of funding
is Thursday January 29, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
All proposals must be submitted through the
RWJF Grantmaking Online system. If you have a question, please e-mail
your inquiry to HealthGamesResearch@rwjf.org
and it will be forwarded to the most appropriate staff member. For additional
information, visit www.healthgamesresearch.org.
Meetings
and Conferences
Please mark your calendars for the second
Annual National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and
Media, August 12-14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. This conference is
sponsored by the National Center for Health Marketing and Office of Enterprise
Communications, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Join other
practitioners and academics from the fields of health communication, marketing
and media and forge new collaborations for research and practice as we
work to improve the health of the public. Planning is now under way to
insure that the conference continues the legacy of excellence in content
and interaction that was established with the initial conference held
in August 2007. Additional updates on registration and program details
will follow. For more information and to submit suggested topics for the
2008 Conference visit http://www.cdc.gov/HealthMarketing/conference2008.htm.
Feedback and ideas for
content for this newsletter should be sent to Wendy Meltzer (iphwxm@gwumc.edu)
Visit
the Routledge Communication Arena at
http://www.communicationarena.com/, an
online resource for Communication academics, students and practitioners.
The
George Washington University Center for Global Health houses the
editorial office of The Journal of Health Communication.
The Johnson & Johnson Centre for Advancing Health
Information contributes to improving health communication and patient
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